Tawab Malekzad

August 29, 2013

From: Kabul, Afghanistan

Exploring: International affairs

Afghanistan to Portland: I planned to follow my father’s path in the military, but he told me, Tawab, I don’t want you to fight with a gun—go fight with a pen. So after attending the United World College in Canada, I came to Lewis & Clark. Here, I’ve taken every opportunity to share my story as an Afghan and to connect with Americans to understand the world from their point of view.

Excellent references: After reading about Lewis & Clark’s international affairs professors—one worked with the Central Intelligence Agency, one worked for the shah of Iran, one was just published by Georgetown University Press—I thought, who wouldn’t want to go there? I’ve taken every class I could from them. Now these same professors are writing letters of reference for me. Wow.

Seeing D.C.: Spending a semester in Washington, D.C., seeing the White House and Congress, opening a book in the Library of Congress—those weren’t even in my dreams. I came from Kabul, the center of politics in Afghanistan, and D.C. is the center of politics in the world. I love that city. I’m going back, for sure.

Making history: I’m interested in counterterrorism and security—in ridding the world of bad guys. I want to do something that history remembers and appreciates.